Weight Loss That Meets You Where You Are | Weight Loss Specialists of North Texas

Annette Izediuno will never forget the day she met Dr. Folahan Ayoola. “As soon as I met him, I knew my life would never be the same,” she said then went on to explain. “I always knew I was beautiful on the inside, but my outside did not reflect it. I did extensive research on local weight-loss doctors and found Dr. Ayoola. He told me right away that he was going to help me. He was so kind and patient and really listened to me.”

Annette didn’t arrive at the decision to undergo weight-loss surgery lightly. For most of her life, she’d been overweight. By the time she scheduled an appointment with Dr. A, she weighed 246 pounds, had high blood pressure and was pre-diabetic. “Dr. Ayoola took all the time I needed to answer all my questions and educate me about the procedure and life after weight loss,” Annette said. “He required me to see his in-office dietician who began teaching me how to eat properly. I woke up after my surgery to find Dr. Ayoola standing by my bed. He said, ‘Annette, this will work.’ And it did.”

Life-Extending Weight Loss

“I do what I do because health is wealth,” Dr. Ayoola said. “If you don’t have your health nothing else matters. In reality, the more weight you carry the shorter your lifespan. We want to help people live longer. We keep a dietician on staff so that, if someone simply needs to make lifestyle changes with diet and exercise, we can walk with them through it. We also offer medication including injectables. And we offer a number of surgical options including duodenal switch, gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy, and revisional bariatric surgery. There’s even a monthly support group where patients can share their struggles and celebrate their successes together. Weight loss isn’t one-size-fits-all. We offer all these options so we can meet you where you are.”

It’s been five years since Annette’s weight-loss surgery. Today, she weighs 161 pounds. She’s no longer pre-diabetic and no longer takes blood pressure medication. “Before I lost weight, I couldn’t even walk up the stairs without being out of breath,” she said. “I was exhausted all the time. Now, I have so much energy. And I can wear whatever I want and feel good in it. Every day I’m better than the day before. Now, I feel as beautiful on the outside as I always have on the inside.”

Medication Isn’t a Magic Bullet

Annette is just one of thousands of patients who’ve regained their health and self-esteem thanks to one dedicated weight loss doctor. Not all require weight-loss surgery. Not all require weight-loss medication. “It’s important that I don’t go into our first appointment with a preplan,” Dr. Ayoola said. “Each patient is unique. My first job is to really listen to them and find out where they are—then meet them there. That begins with asking them about their weight-loss goal. How much do they hope to lose? The new GLP-1 medications such as Wegovy and Zepbound can be great choices for those with a BMI of 30 to 35. But medication weight loss tops out at about 16% of total body weight. On the other hand, weight loss surgery can result in 70 – 80% loss of extra body weight. If your goal is to lose more than 16%, medication isn’t the best choice for your long-term success. Additionally, these drugs can become a ‘forever expense’ vs surgery which can offer a forever life change. I tell patients they need to ask themselves, ‘Will losing a certain amount of weight change my life the way I want it to be changed’?”

No-Shame Weight Loss

Dr. A sees patients who’ve already tried every diet known to man and they simply didn’t work. He sees others who’ve been on medication but got off and regained their weight and still others who’ve had surgery and need revision surgery. Dr. A is their educator first, providing them with all the options he can offer then partnering with them to finally lose weight—and keep it off—restoring their health, reviving their relationships, expanding their opportunities, and advancing their quality of life. Patient education begins before surgery, but it doesn’t stop after. The team continues to partner with each patient as they begin their new, healthier life.

Meeting You Where You Are

The internet is filled with five-star reviews from patients who struggled for years with obesity-related conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and disruptive sleep apnea leaving them with no choice but to rely on pharmaceuticals to get them through the day. They tell of debilitating joint pain and physical limitations brought on by excess weight and how obesity affected every aspect of their lives from personal relationships, job prospects, health, and self-esteem.

Many of them visited Weight Loss Specialists of North Texas feeling hopeless and defeated. Dr. Ayoola offered them a comprehensive approach to weight loss that took into account the person behind the weight problem. After weight-loss—with or without surgery—many report they no longer need medication because they no longer suffered with obesity-related conditions. They have more energy, better self-esteem, and hope for the future.

“The Weight Loss Specialists approach is a little old-fashioned. We believe we have to earn trust by treating people with respect, showing genuine care, and building relationships,” Dr. Ayoola said. “All this takes time, but we believe it is time well spent. Weight-loss is a lifelong journey. We want to partner with our patients for life—long, healthy, vibrant life.”

Dr. Ayoola follows American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) guidelines to advise him how to proceed with each patient. “Obesity is a medical condition,” Dr. Ayoola said. “There are three ways to address any medical condition — lifestyle changes, medication, or procedures. If your BMI is under 27, we recommend you make lifestyle changes to obtain and maintain a healthy weight. If it’s over 27, it’s time to consider medication. But if it’s over 35, it may be time for a surgical procedure. In the end, we see the best, long-lasting results with a combination of surgery, medication, and lifestyle changes. We’re prepared to meet you where you are. You’ve got this. And we’ve got you.”